Abstract: | Sensitive luminescent probes for phenylglyoxylic acid (PGA), which is a biomarker of ethylbenzene and styrene (EB/S) representing the internal dose of EB/S exposure, have been constructed on the basis of newly designed luminescent coordination polymers (LCPs). Three isostructural LCPs with different lanthanide centers were solvothermally synthesized and fully characterized. All the LCPs 1 – 3 display strong regulated emissions by the adjustable metal–organic coordination interactions. Among LCPs 1 – 3 , the fabricated LCP 2 can quantitatively detect PGA with the highest sensitivity in physiologically relevant ranges. The mechanism study of luminescent responses toward PGA further explains the excellent sensitivity and selectivity of LCP 2 for sensing PGA. The facile, accurate, fast, and recyclable sensing system relying on LCP materials provides a convenient approach for developing sensing platforms with adjustable emissions for assessment of the intoxication level of EB/S. |